Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, today announced the winners of the 2017 MENA Green Building Awards that recognise innovation, creativity and excellence in promoting sustainability best practices. With record submissions from six nations across the MENA region, the awards highlighted the growing focus of industry stakeholders to promote innovation and best practices to drive sustainable built environments.

At a carbon-neutral awards ceremony held at Roda Al Murooj hotel in Dubai, the winners in various professional categories were honoured in the presence of government officials, industry leaders, representatives of academia and media. The Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award for a student from a recognised university in the UAE, who has conducted exceptional research on a subject related to green building in the Middle East, was also presented at the event.

Supported by the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), the 2017 MENA Green Building Awards was organised by EmiratesGBC in partnership with the JordanGBC and LebanonGBC. The event was highlighted on social media under the hashtag: #MENAGBAwards.

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said: “We congratulate the winners of the 2017 MENA Green Building Awards not only for their demonstrated excellence in driving the sustainable built environment of the region but also for their commitment and dedication to innovation and promoting green best practices. This year, we had a record number of submissions, underlined by their quality, creativity and original thinking. Across all the categories, what is clearly apparent is the focus on pushing boundaries, setting new benchmarks and contributing to the all-round vision of securing a greener future for our coming generations. We hope to share the insights from our winners for the benefit of the larger community and to support the building industry in undertaking new and proven sustainable best practices that help achieve better living environments, higher energy and water use efficiency, and reduce the carbon footprint.”

Lee Siang, Chairman of WorldGBC, added: “The 2017 MENA Green Building Awards highlights the dedication of the regional construction industry stakeholders to pursue environment-friendly practices. The innovations and best practices that the winners present are uniquely suited for the region and can be replicated in similar environments globally. This makes the Awards a key part in the global sustainability narrative that the World Green Building Council promotes.”

Additionally, the 2017 Dr. Owainati Student Excellence Award and cash prize was presented to Enas Alkhateeb, Faculty of Engineering and IT, British University in Dubai, UAE for ‘Potentials of Retrofitting the Federal Buildings in the UAE to Net Zero Electricity Cost Buildings.’

Two students were short-listed for their notable research: Borhan Torkfar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, RIT University of Dubai for ‘Feasibility of Using Solar Thermal Systems for power generation in Residential Building in Shiraz and Dubai;’ and Rawad Raidan, Department of Mechanical engineering RIT- University of Dubai for ‘Approaching a Design Tool for Dubai villas with on-grid solar PV.’

KPMG was the official Observing Auditors for the 2017 MENA Green Building Awards to ensure the highest standards of corporate governance and transparency. The event was supported by EmiratesGBC’s corporate members AkzoNobel as Gold Sponsor and Multiplex as Silver Sponsor.

To ensure carbon neutrality of the 2017 MENA Green Building Awards, emissions from power consumption, heat energy, refrigeration and other sources were calculated. The journeys of participants to the event, as well as catering and lodging, event-specific materials and waste, were also considered. These will be offset against a project that replaces fossil fuel with renewable energy solutions.

EmiratesGBC regularly hosts and participates in multinational events, conferences and forums. It has also developed a suite of activities, inclusive of networking events, technical workshops, focus days and facilitated training based around specific issues related to the built-environment that meet the needs of its members, of the UAE community and the wider Middle East.